Thousands of toys distributed to children in Region 6

Close to 10,000 toys were on Sunday distributed to children across Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Sunday.
The distribution was part of Government’s continued support for children.
According to Mustapha, the annual feature is an initiative he started in the region more than a decade ago when he was Regional Chairman.
“You can see the joy on the children’s faces and while I am doing this in Berbice, [people] who are in different parts of the country doing the same thing in other regions,” he said in an invited comment as he interacted with children at the Welfare Community Centre in East Canje.
“We want to make sure that every child enjoys the festive season and also gets a gift. That is what we want to do for this period; giving and sharing. Today we are seeing that the future of our children is bright and there are more opportunities for our children. We are seeing more development. We are seeing our children are excelling in different fields and this is one way we think we can help them to enjoy themselves during this festive season and for the holidays,” the Minister said.
According to the Minister, who distributed toys at 12 venues in the region, other Government Ministers were also in the said region doing the same.
“Some parts of Region Six that I did not cover, they covered. We are trying to ensure that in every single community, the children receive toys so that they can enjoy themselves. This is one we as a party in and out of Government have been going this. Since I became Minister, I have been using the Government resources to assist the children but this has been a tradition when we were not in Government between 2015 to 2020, I was still doing this with resources from the party and now as a Minister within the Government I am doing it.”
Speaking about the distribution at Welfare Community Centre, Mustapha pointed out that before the reopening of the Rose Hall Sugar Estate earlier this year, the community was being referred to as a depressed one.
“We are seeing more economic opportunities and East Canje is moving in terms of development and we are seeing more people coming back into East Canje now and the community is becoming vibrant again.
While not being able to give the figure as it relates to the total number of toys being distributed countrywide, the Agriculture Minister noted that he would have distributed close to 10,000 in Region Six.
“Where I cannot get to go to, I will be sending toys. We are seeing a number of these toys going to different parts of the country. For example, in Region One on Saturday, Minister Collin Croal would have gone to different villages. Today (Sunday) Minister Ashni Singh is in Moraikobai and other parts of Region Five, so different Ministers are going into different regions,” he added. (G4)